The Girl in White Tiger Field page 12

[Byakko]

You are doing so well and should be very proud of yourself! The first week can be so tough, but you just keep plugging away and already are seeing some great changes. Speaking of changes, I heard many years ago, "You change others by changing yourself" and this is so true. You lead by example in you life and when other see your success, they want it too. Family is a tough one. They have seen you at your worst (and best, but that is usually not the focus) and they usually figure that this is just some new fad or something. No worries, just make yourself healthy. Getting your own space in the kitchen really is brilliant also because I imagine it would be tough to pass by all the junk while trying to hunt out your CO or other healthy stuff.

Cooking in the kitchen just takes time to learn and get better. Just keep doing it. Each day, make some meals at the same time, when you feel you can. Food will be ready when you are hungry and you can try new things without feeling pressured. Make notes for yourself about what worked for you and what failed. Failures are a part of success. I decided many years ago that if I was happy to accept my successes, then I'd better be happy with my failures also since they teach success.

Yes. I feel like once I get to a place where I feel good and hopefully look a little more healthy, maybe it'll get noticed. Even if they don't notice, I'll feel better and maybe better able to deal with things.

Right. I did get discouraged when my "pancakes" failed. But I sort of believe paleo treats are not worth it in the long run. I need to focus on meats and vegetables and healthy fats in the traditional sense. Maybe I'll save the baking for a special occasion.

[Byakko]

B: banana, 2 eggs
S: Larabar
D: Sloppy Joe
S: grapes

...yeah. That's pathetic. But honestly, sometimes I'm not terribly hungry. Should I be concerned?

Did some shopping today. I'm happy to have scored a bottle of organic EVOO for less than $5.

Tonight I attempted making sloppy joe. I was successful, but the whole thing was nerve-wracking. I should let cooking stress me out this much (I've got a headache). I'm still in the process of determining how to meal plan. If I could eat regular filling nutritious meals maybe I'd feel better and less stressed. I'm not getting a ton of help from either parent so I have to figure this out myself.

I know it's probably way too early to worry about this but I am starting to worry about my digestion. I'm not going anymore than I used to. Its true I haven't had enough of anything to help my system improve but at the same time I often wonder if I need to look at a paleo version of low or no FODMAPS. The sucky thing about FODMAPS is it takes a lot of the really tasty stuff out of the recipes. Then there's an issue of possibly having something entirely different going on with my gut. x_x Who knows? I'll try to include some FODMAP recipes but I suppose I just need to get through the month and get a better handle on eating enough.

But again, I'm happy to have made something and I am happy to have gotten some organic olive oil for a lot less.

[Mud Flinger]

So next time you make sloppy joe, you can be less stressed because you know that you can do it. Remind yourself when things feel stressfull that you can do it - I tell myself over and over again when faced with a tough feat "I can do this" and somehow, I usually do. If you aren't hungry, then don't eat. Skipping meals is no biggy unless it sets you up for a binge or other issue later (like head ache or grouchiness, etc). Digestion can take a while to sort out. Are you walking much? Try to get more movement in. Even pulling weeds in the yard or cleaning up the garden or flower beds. Do more chores around the house - you get the idea. The more you move, the more you will want to move. It doesn't have to be anything special.

[Byakko]

So next time you make sloppy joe, you can be less stressed because you know that you can do it. Remind yourself when things feel stressfull that you can do it - I tell myself over and over again when faced with a tough feat "I can do this" and somehow, I usually do. If you aren't hungry, then don't eat. Skipping meals is no biggy unless it sets you up for a binge or other issue later (like head ache or grouchiness, etc). Digestion can take a while to sort out. Are you walking much? Try to get more movement in. Even pulling weeds in the yard or cleaning up the garden or flower beds. Do more chores around the house - you get the idea. The more you move, the more you will want to move. It doesn't have to be anything special.

Right. (Sloppy Joes might be a tad spicy so I will either find another recipe or adjust the measurements of spices.) I think it's a matter of getting something I love and that is tasty and knowing it makes enough servings. I shouldn't procrastinate. It was nice to come home and have dinner already waiting. It beats being hungry and not having anything prepared.

I admit I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. When I don't feel hungry or something I wonder if it's something the matter with me; especially considering I wake up late and go many hours without food yet today I wasn't feeling famished and I just ate to make sure I ate something. (It may be possible I wasn't looking forward to it.)

No....I haven't been moving a lot other than just around the house, but I'm trying to turn my attention to doing something everyday. My feet hurt a lot so sometimes it's hard to push myself to go but I'll find something.

[Mud Flinger]

Feet hurting is the suck for sure. I have arthritis and one ankle can really give me a hard time. I usually just try to push on through. That and I am grateful to have a pool in my back yard and in the summer I try to swim almost every day. When I feel bad, just treading water in the deep end really makes me feel better. Can you crawl without pain? This can really build your upper body strength. I may sound silly, but try crawling on the carpeted areas of your house until you "feel the burn" (I would expect in your arms). Is there a pair of shoes that help your feet feel better? Barefoot? Does massaging help relieve the pain so you can push a little farther? Pulling weeds is often done in a crawl position and being outside is great for attitude and view point. Floor exercises can strengthen many core muscles. You may even find that strengthening other parts of your body somehow helps your feet. The body is not a bunch of seperate parts but all part of a whole interconnected system.

[Byakko]

Feet hurting is the suck for sure. I have arthritis and one ankle can really give me a hard time. I usually just try to push on through. That and I am grateful to have a pool in my back yard and in the summer I try to swim almost every day. When I feel bad, just treading water in the deep end really makes me feel better. Can you crawl without pain? This can really build your upper body strength. I may sound silly, but try crawling on the carpeted areas of your house until you "feel the burn" (I would expect in your arms). Is there a pair of shoes that help your feet feel better? Barefoot? Does massaging help relieve the pain so you can push a little farther? Pulling weeds is often done in a crawl position and being outside is great for attitude and view point. Floor exercises can strengthen many core muscles. You may even find that strengthening other parts of your body somehow helps your feet. The body is not a bunch of seperate parts but all part of a whole interconnected system.

The only time I tend to feel okay is when I'm barefoot on carpet. My feet hurt otherwise; flat Keds or rugged Merrell hiking shoes don't help. (I am intrigued to try Vibram Five Fingers but I don't know. I don't want to cause more injury.) My feet can hurt even when I'm barefoot but that's only if I spend a long while on them. So I'll probably stick to yoga or floor exercises as you mentioned. Perhaps stretching my legs will help my ankles and feet.

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M1: 2 hard boiled eggs and guacamole (1/2 avocado
S: banana
M2: sloppy joe
S: grapes

Seriously this is all I had today. Woke up late, ate late, was away from home, came back late. LAME.

[Byakko]

I've come to a point where I am just completely sick of food. Good healthy food, bad junk food. All of it. My life seems to revolve around it. It's all I think about, worry about.

But I am human. And I need to eat to live.

If I want to be healthy I have to try to eat what's best and right now I believe primal/paleo is worth an honest try. So I will suck it up and make eating/cooking well a priority, even if it's incredibly annoying atm.

While my cravings have diminished significantly, they aren't totally gone. I'm becoming fruit crazy, which isn't good, because I want to lose weight. Unfortunately my favorite fruit tend to be the more sugary (grapes, bananas) and I tend to dislike berries. It will probably be a goal to reduce the amount of fruit I eat as I go along and maybe even make it one of those weekly treats instead of daily.

It sucks being in a car with someone after they've ordered fast food. Even if you're not hungry, they pull the bag into the car and you just want to gobble it all up. Being hungry of course, makes it worse. Those are the times my cravings skyrocket. I tend to react when I see a box of Little Debbies in the store. Despite not having them for years, they were a childhood staple whenever I played video games and the memory of taste and texture still reside in me like alien spawn. But I'll say this, I think I will stop buying LaraBars to take home. If I'm out and I'm feeling sluggish and I could get away with a small boost, I'll get one while I'm out. But they're just a set up when you're stuck at home still fighting cravings. Even though I'm transitioning, I shouldn't depend on them. My will power isn't that bullet proof yet.

Juices (especially orange) are also a weakness. Perhaps that's why I overdo the fruit. I know I relied heavily on juices when I quit my Sprite habit. But lately when I drink water, the water tastes just as refreshing, most probably on account of the heat. Before primal/paleo, not so much (but at that time, how could water compete against colored sugar water?! Dx) As previously suggested, I may have to look towards teas. I've always hated tea and lately I can barely tolerate green tea and I can't seem to get used to cold teas. But I need something to help curb the fruit consumption. You know, it's one of those things where you can't wait until after you eat dinner to get your treat (whether I'm full or not.)

I rarely have salt cravings; when I do, I always want sweet potato fries. But it's not one of those priority things so I'll make some if I have the potatoes available.

I still want to focus on getting a rhythm going for the food before I focus on other things and I have yet to establish one. Making the sloppy joes has taught me the importance of A.) finding a recipe you love and B.) Preparing it ahead of time and making sure there's at least 4 servings.

[Mud Flinger]

Wrote you a post this morning, but my computer ate it

Being out isn't lame and you ate well also. I know how frustrating the fast food thing can be - sometimes you just want to smack the person for stopping for that crap. Now it kinda nausiates me though because I know what crap it is!

Try asking the person ahead of time if they can make another choice as you are avoiding this food for health reasons OR take along a lunch for yourself so that you dont have to deal with those feelings empty handed. It set an example for others too, because they know that crap isn't good for them.

I think you are starting to set an example for those around you - don't be surprised if you get some flack for it soon. People often act like crabs that pull the escaping ones back into the bucket of despair.

[JudyCr]

Are you having to drive your parents/grandparents around? If not, I would stay out of the car with them, especially in this transitioning period. Fast food smells good when you're trying to quit. If you have to go, you're going to have to make yourself make food ahead and take with you or it will put you in a bad mood eventually, deprivation makes me sad. Cheese, olives, strawberries and heavy cream, even pork skins kept me from cheating while I was getting off bad carbs, then I gradually cut out the heavy cream and pork skins, altho I had some homemade skins the other day and they were fab.

[Byakko]

Mud Flinger: I'll try to figure out a way to get something going on the road. I don't want to be "that" person who is a "health nut" even though I have a valid condition. Push comes to shove I usually order a salad with grilled chicken. Possibly cooked in horrible toxic oil/grease but it's better than nothing.

Judy: Well I'm trying to get my home meals straight. I'm still trying to collect a few recipes that work. Like I said in an earlier post; I'm worried about FODMAPS. And honestly without those foods things potentially get more boring and bland tasting. While I am not proven to have fructose malabsorption, I can tell sometimes when I do eat them I feel a little yuck.

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M1: 2 hard-boiled eggs and a handful of baby carrots
S: banana
S: sweet potato fries
M2: sloppy joe
S: grapes

After the first meal (aka "breakfast") I felt really gross. I couldn't even finish the last bite. I find it odd. Seriously, like borderline starting to feel pukey. I cooked the eggs well so it wasn't underdone. Am I getting an aversion to eggs? Was the texture/yolk suddenly sickening me? Well whatever it was, I had had enough.

I'm reaching a really stressful point when it comes to dealing with food. I guess I just have to trudge through the fact I will not be eating pre-cooked/packaged food again or eating things my mom makes. In some cases I can appreciate me actually putting in effort to feed myself real food. However, when I'm around others, I feel like some kind of outsider and I can't even explain to people clearly why I choose not to eat as they do.